Returning Past
by lRainDropsl
Summary: AU: Cole and Phoebe had a bad history in highschool, but can it all change when they run into each other in New York or will history repeat itself?
1. Default Chapter

A/N: I'd like to thank Barb6 for revising me story and making it clearer to read.  
  
Disclaimer: Cole and Phoebe are property of Spelling Production. The rest are mine.  
  
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Phoebe was an average teenage girl in school, who's been in love with Cole since she first laid eyes on him sophomore.  
  
Cole was the popular jock. He is a senior.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
  
  
Phoebe Halliwell has always been a modest girl, very quiet, very introverted. She liked to keep things to herself, and she pushed others away. Which was why she had became this invisible she became a person in school. No one knew who she was, and she didn't even bother to try and befriend anyone.   
  
Until one day, a certain dark hair, blue-eyed boy transferred over to her school. He caught her eyes the moment he walked into her math class. He has this mystique circulating around him that intrigued her. His eyes were intensely blue, and his dark features made him irresistible. As soon as he's arrived, all the girls were lusted after him. They'd do almost anything to get his attention. He was already popular on his first day, and also earned himself a nickname, "Blue-eyes".   
  
Sitting back in the back of the class, she eyed him everyday. Her every thought surrounded him. All she did is class was doodle his name and daydream about him.  
  
"Miss Halliwell!" She jumped at the sound of her teacher's raspy voice.  
  
She looked up with a baffled expression.   
  
"Would you please come up here and finish this equation?" Her teacher asked, waiting for Phoebe to come up to the board.  
  
"Uh, I'll pass." Phoebe uttered lowly before the whole class turned heads and eyes on her. She saw "Blue-eyes" turn around and stare her way. Her cheeks flushed immediately and her mind went blank.  
  
"No, I'd like you to come up here." The teacher insisted, holding out the chalk to Phoebe.  
  
Cautiously getting up, she walked up to the front of the class, took the chalk then walked to the board. Her face went blank as she faced the equation. She had no idea where the numbers went or where to even start. She could feel the whole class eyeing her, and she could hear a few snickering.  
  
"Go sit down Miss Halliwell." Her teacher ordered, austerely. She felt a sudden relief as she handed her teacher the chalk, and headed back to her seat. On her way back she saw "blue-eyed" eye her with amusement, and then her head just dropped instantly.  
  
"I suggest you spend less time daydreaming Miss Halliwell and more on the board." Her teacher sternly suggested.  
  
Phoebe plastered on a faint smile then dropped it immediately.   
  
Suddenly the bell rang, Phoebe sighed in relief. She grabbed her things and quickly exited the class. She was mortified by what happened in class. She hated the teacher for embarrassing her in front of the class like that, but more importantly in front of Cole. She felt like a complete idiot! In fact she was an idiot!  
  
She paced to her locker but was in no hurry to open it. She lazily opened it, stuffed her books and backpack in there, grabbed her black binder, and then headed for her next class, Speech.   
  
She walked herself to class and as she entered the room, she was surprised to find "Blue-eyes" sitting in her seat. She dragged herself up to him and asked for her seat back even though there were a few empty seats around her. She took this as an opportunity for her to talk to him.  
  
"Uh, this is my seat." She lowly said with timidity.  
  
"Uh, no, this is my seat." He said, with an emphasis in his voice, looking up at her with a sly smile on his face.  
  
"Alright, I don't have time for this." Phoebe began to get angry, "Get out of my seat, now."  
  
"Or what?" He challenged. But before she could give him a comeback the teacher called her out.  
  
"Miss Halliwell, your new seat is a seat over on the left." Her teacher informed, pointing to the left of "Blue-eyes".  
  
She looked back at "Blue-eyes" who still had a sly smile across his face as she went around the back of his seat to her new seat.  
  
"Hello neighbor." He greeted, turning Phoebe's way. "Cole Turner." He offered his hand mid way between Phoebe and him.  
  
Phoebe shot him a faint smile then looked ahead and ignored him. He put on a pout and withdrew his hand.  
  
"You know, you have a very nice voice, you should speak more often." 'He enlightened her, just before a red-haired girl entered the class excitedly. Phoebe stole a glance in the corner of her eyes. It was the annoying red-head that she has disliked since the beginning of her freshman year. She was a Sophmore and she thinks she's all that, and also she's annoyingly perky; sometimes Phoebe just wants to pull her head off or stuff a sock in her mouth. Now that she's a Junior she thinks she's the supreme, and it just pisses Phoebe off when people think they are above everyone else.  
  
"Cole!" She shrieked, "Oh, my gosh, I'm so happy you got your schedule changed!"   
  
"Miss Hannah, your seat is on the right of Mr. Turner." The teacher stated.  
  
  
  
Hannah took her seat and turned toward Cole enthusiastically and struck up a conversation with Cole for the rest of the period, as Phoebe tried to tune them out of her head. She laid her head down on her desk and tried to go to sleep. However, Hannah's incessant shrieking kept her up.  
  
"So, how you like to go to the dance with me?" Phoebe overheard Cole ask Hannah.  
  
"Do you even have to ask?" Hannah excitedly queried. "I'd love to."  
  
"Great! I'll pick you up at seven." Cole affirmed.  
  
"Wonderful." She said giddily just before the bell rang marking the end of the day.   
  
Phoebe once again gathered her things rather quickly and zoomed out of the room.  
  
"Phoebe!" Phoebe was held back by a feminine voice calling for her.  
  
She swirled around to find her best friend, since second grade and her only friend, waving at her in the middle of the crowded hallway.  
  
Phoebe smiled and moved against the wall to wait for best friend to come.  
  
"Hey!" Phoebe greeted as her friend made her way towards her.  
  
"Hey yourself." She said, "Oh my gosh, have you heard? Cole Turner is throwing a big birthday 18 two weeks from now."  
  
"Wow, no, no, I haven't heard." Phoebe replied, not a bit interested, "But that's what I have you for Jade; to fill me in on the important stuff." Phoebe hinted with sarcasm.  
  
"Well, it is important." Jade excitedly inform. "Jason May is going to be there."  
  
"Your lover boy." Phoebe teased, and flashed Jade a smile, as they both walked to Phoebe's locker.  
  
"Not yet." Jade was quick to reply. Phoebe turned to look at her and they both cracked up in laughter.  
  
"Keep dreaming." Phoebe said, still laughing.   
  
Phoebe grabbed her backpack out of the locker, slung it over her shoulder then headed down the hall with Jade by her side and continuing their talk about Jason. As Phoebe was about to exit the front door she bumped into Cole, who was along with his sidekick exiting as well. She glancer his way quickly then turned back to Jade who was making eye contact with Cole's sidekick. Cole caught her stealing a glance at him, which pleased him quite a bit. A stealth smile crept upon his lips.   
  
Hurriedly Phoebe pushed the door open and exited, followed by Jade.  
  
  
  
"Look who has the hots for you." Cole's sidekick whispered to him.  
  
"I know." Cole knowingly answered. He knew she liked him from the moment she first saw him. Her eyes have said it all. The sparks in her eyes, her facial expression, and the aura she gave off every time he walked past her.   
  
"So what's her name?" His friend asked.  
  
"All I know is her last name is Halliwell." Cole replied.   
  
"She's cute." His friend commented. "Is she new?"  
  
"Uh, I don't know." Cole answered, "She was already here when I transferred."  
  
"Are you going to invite her to your bash?"   
  
"Like she would come." Cole scorned, knowing Phoebe wouldn't be interested, even though she had a crush on him.   
  
"Why wouldn't she?" His friend asked baffled.  
  
"She thinks I'm a pest." Cole replied dismissively, "And besides, the number is already over the limit."  
  
  
  
"Limit Schmimit." His friend scoffed. "You can have some fun with her." He cocked his eyebrows indicating what he was thinking.   
  
Cole grinned, but before he could put in his input Hannah came bouncing up and down coming running towards him calling after him:  
  
"Cole!"   
  
He turned around flashing her a genuine smile. "Hey."  
  
"Hey!" She came up inches away from his face, grinning delightfully at the sight of him. "Hey, Jason."  
  
Jason weakly smiled at her then turned to Cole. "I'll see you later man."  
  
"Yeah, later." Cole patted Jason on his shoulder, and then turned his attention back to Hannah.  
  
"So wanna go to a movie tonight?" She asked eagerly.  
  
"Uh, I have a game." Cole replied.  
  
"Oh, right." She replied in a whim of remembrance. "Well, I'll see you tonight then."  
  
"Yeah." Cole nodded, not sure if was he really fond of her over enthusiasm to see him. He liked the idea of being fond of, but her determination for tracking him down everywhere he went was just over the top for him. He liked her, she had good energy, was pretty cute, had a lot of spunk, and she was smart. However, her excitement for him was a little too overwhelming.  
  
Outside Phoebe and Jade stood around the trees close to the front of the school still chitchatting.  
  
"You know Pheebs, I think you should go out with somebody." Jade suggested.  
  
Phoebe gave her a bemused look, and raised her eyebrows, "No."  
  
"Oh, come on." Jade whined. "Why not?"   
  
  
  
Phoebe pursed her lips as if she was wondering why herself, and she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I'm just enjoying the freedom right now. I don't have to worry about thinking of the other person; I don't have to always be caution of what I do might affect them."  
  
"Typical Phoebe." Jade shook her head, sadly. "How are you ever going to find yourself a boyfriend with that attitude?"  
  
"I'm not." Phoebe reminded, "I'm leaving it up to the universe." Really Phoebe didn't care for a boyfriend. All she cared about was herself, not in a selfish way, just she didn't need another person in her life for her to worry about. She tried to shun away from the typical image of high school love. She didn't need the drama that most high school girls have with their boyfriends. She didn't want to become "those" girls; all she wanted was to be far away from that image, as far as possible. "It's not important to me. I mean there are better things out there for me to do, and having a boyfriend would just tie me down."  
  
"I suppose." Jade sighed, not knowing what else to say. "Well, there's my ride," She said as a red van pulled up. "I'll see you later."  
  
"Bye." Phoebe said as she weakly waved.  
  
Clinging tightly onto the bottom of her backpack strap she looked around for her mom, who was arriving late, as usual. She squinted her eyes from the blazing sun, lowering her head to avoid its beaming rays, her chestnut brown hair draped over her face covering her cheeks.   
  
Sweeping her hair behind her ears she looked up, and in the corner of her eyes she could see Cole and Hannah walking. As soon as she tried to turn away they walked past her. Cole flashed a smile her way and continued walking. It came as a surprise to Phoebe, he made her wonder, did he like her? Or was it just an act? He didn't look like the kind of guy that would play a girl. He looked like he just didn't have it in him to hurt a girl. However she had learned to not judge the book by its cover. He may look mysterious, and it may intrigued her, but she wasn't about go after him.  
  
Gazing to her right, she saw her mom's silver BMW pulling up, waving to her from inside.   
  
Walking up to the car, she opened it quickly and got in.  
  
"Hi honey, how was your day?" Her mother asked, smiling her way.  
  
"It's ok." Phoebe shrugged, as she stared straight ahead.  
  
Her mother looked at her fuddling, wondering what was going on in her mind. She felt a great distance between her and Phoebe. She knew she hasn't been the best mother to Phoebe, especially after the break-up of her father and her, but she tried the best. Phoebe however did not see that; she still held grudges against her mother for betraying her father, leading to his death.   
  
Her mother had cheated on her father with his brother, Jake. Afterwards when Phoebe's father found out, the brothers had gotten into a heated argument, a few punches were thrown around, a few kicks were swung around, but no one expected it to go so far as death. Jake had pushed Phoebe's father out the window sending him flying three floors down, headfirst.   
  
"Phoebe, honey," Her mom called, looking her way timidly. "I just got a job offer in New York."  
  
"Are we moving?" Phoebe monotonically, asked, while staring down at her fidgeting fingers, playing with her nails.  
  
"Thinking about it," Her mother replied, thoughtfully, keeping her eyes on the road. "What do you think? Do you want to move?"  
  
Phoebe pouted for a second before giving her mother an answer. "Does it matter what I think?" She looked up at her mother, squinting her eyes from the sun.   
  
"Well, I'd like your opinion, you know; since you would have to move school and moving away from Jade." Her mother said.  
  
Phoebe shrugged her shoulders and didn't bother to reply. She sat back against her seat and looked out the window, remembering her encounter with Cole just a little over an hour ago. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
It was a bright Thursday morning; Jade was standing by the front concrete steps of the school waiting for Phoebe as usual. She waiting anxiously, pushing herself back and forth on her heel and the tip of her toe with an excited look on her face. She clenched her teeth and searched all directions for Phoebe while she balling her palms into fists.   
  
Her anticipation was running high as she glanced at her black-leather wristwatch with gold rimming on the edge. The long hand was striking 11 and the short hand was on the verge of 8. Biting her lips she let out a long breath of air.   
  
"Where is that girl?" She mumbled to herself, with a slight frown. Her mind was about to go crazy. Phoebe was still nowhere at sight.   
  
Suddenly she felt a tap on her left shoulder threw her out of her thought. She gasped and swirled around to face the person behind her.  
  
"Hey!" Revealed a confused Phoebe; she was baffled by Jade's reaction. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Oh, my gosh!" Jade practically yelled, "Where the heck have you been?"  
  
"Uh, I had to go and re-take my test in Johnson's." Phoebe answered with caution.  
  
"I've been invited to Cole's party!" Jade shook her, excitedly.   
  
Phoebe was shocked to hear the news, all she could do was utter, "Wow."  
  
"That's—that's amazing." Phoebe added, "Now here's your chance to shine for Jason May. So who invited you?"  
  
A shy smile formed on Jade's lips, and turned into a beaming grin. "Jason! Come with me." She eagerly informed.  
  
"Uh, no. I don't think I can." Phoebe answered, uncomfortable.  
  
"What?" She shrieked, with a slight tone of anger. "What do you mean you can't?"  
  
"I don't think my---" Phoebe tried to muster up an excuse before she got cut off by Jade.  
  
"Nuh-uh, don't give me that B.S." Jade said, her voice was filled with anger now. "I know for a fact that it's not your mom."  
  
"I don't really think it's my place." Phoebe said, clinging to the bottom strap of her backpack, scratching the strap with the tip of her thumb rigorously.  
  
"Come for me." Jade said, as she saddened her eyes, clasping her hands together. However, before Phoebe could reply the bell rang indicating school has begun. "Well, I'll see you later." She lightly waved and turned towards the metal door, but before she disappeared into the horde she noted, "Think about it."  
  
Inhaling a deep breath, Phoebe pursed her lips then turned to enter the school. Prancing to her locker quickly before she could be tardy, she ran past Cole who was chatting away with his friends. She took a quick glance at him, as did he, and rushed to her locker.   
  
She struggled with trying to get the locker opened as she only had a minute left to make it to class. She hurriedly tried to open the locker however it won't budge. Letting out an angry grunt she shook the lock furiously then threw it back against the locker.  
  
"Uh, need help?" A deep masculine voice from behind her asked.  
  
Turning around in to face Cole, her face expression immediately changed from frustration to annoyance.  
  
"No," She replied, rather quickly and turned back toward the locker on the mark of the bell's ring.  
  
She let out another grunt and turned sideways as if she was about to give up. She then turned back to the locker again and gave it a hard knock while at the same time she cussed it. "God, damnit!"  
  
"I'd appreciate it a lot if you don't do that to my locker." Cole spoke up again, calmly. "I may not use it, but I'd still like to keep as it is."   
  
The tall African-American hall monitor now yelled down the hall at them, "Hey you two! Attendance office now!" Phoebe turned take a look at the locker; she rolled her eyes in annoyance and brushed past Cole. He quickly followed her to the attendance office.   
  
The room was filled with tardy kids waiting to get processed. Her tardiness was up to thirteen, two more and she could be suspended. The line moved rather quickly and Phoebe was up next.   
  
"ID." A dark-haired, Asian woman said, holding out her hand for Phoebe's ID. She handed the woman the ID and impatiently waited as she leaned on one side and tapped her foot.  
  
The woman handed Phoebe a yellow slip with a copy attached behind it. Phoebe snatched it and stumped out of the office. She droopingly paced to her locker, and opened it. She shoved her history book and a black blinder in there then turned to walk to her class. She took her time and walked down the hall passing the attendance office as Cole emerged with the yellow slip in hand.   
  
He looked her way, as did she; however they both headed off in each of their own direction.   
  
"Phoebe!" Phoebe heard a voice called after her. She swirled around and found Jade running down the hall.  
  
"Hey!" She said, catching her breath.   
  
"Hey, what are you doing in the hallway?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Restroom break." Jade said, holding up the pass, and then she looked questionably at Phoebe. "Uh, shouldn't you be in class?"   
  
"Soon to be," Phoebe replied, showing Jade her yellow slip.  
  
Raising her brow, Jade gave Phoebe a disappointing look. "Again?"   
  
"It was the stupid locker's fault!" Phoebe defended herself. "They all look the same!"  
  
"Wrong one again?" Jade inquired, with a slightness of sympathy. "Well, hey, Macobee is being a major ass today; he only gives me 2 minutes, so later!"   
  
Jade quickly rushed off to the nearest ladies room leaving Phoebe standing alone in the hallway. She turned and continued to take her time marching to her class.  
  
Approximately five minutes later, she finally arrived at the door of her first period. She jiggled the knob forcefully but it won't budge. Continuing to do so, the door suddenly opened and in she flew. Apparently the door had been locked from the outside, and her teacher had flung the door open sending her flying in.  
  
Phoebe stumbled trying to keep her balance, as the class laughed hysterically. Once Phoebe got a hold of her balance she handed the teacher the copy of her tardy slip then miserably walked to her seat and slouched before it.  
  
"Feet under the desk Miss Halliwell." The teacher ordered with sternness in his voice. Not only was he aggravated by Phoebe's tardiness, but also by her entrance that had disrupted his lecture.   
  
Phoebe grumpily turned herself facing the front of her class and pretended to be interested in his lecturing for the rest of the period. She was so grateful for the sound of the bell. The whole period was a torture. The teacher kept glancing at her giving her these kind of annoyed and evil grimaces. She kept trying to ignore him, but it didn't do much good since there were kids around her who kept snickering to each other whispering stupid remarks about her.   
  
Period two soon passed, so did three, as did four, and then finally came period five. Lunch! Finally, some free time! Phoebe thought she wouldn't have to deal with teachers for the next 45 minutes.   
  
Cheerfully walking into the cafeteria, Phoebe put on a bright smile as she saw Jade across the room. Speeding toward Jade's way with a smile on her face Phoebe picked up her speed and before she knew it one of her peers from her first period class had thrown a banana peel onto the ground and Phoebe had stepped on it sending her to the ground. A big thump echoed across the room as numerous heads turned and laughed.   
  
Phoebe bravely pulled herself up, ignoring the twitching pain shooting out from her buttock as she glanced toward the person who had thrown the banana peel in front of her with an evil grimace. It was a freckles covered face blond boy; he didn't say much instead he tried to hold in his laugher. She then glanced to another side of the lunchroom and caught Cole, a few his sidekicks, and some of his slave wannabes—including his "girlfriend" bursting in laughter.   
  
"What a dork!" Phoebe over heard one of Cole's girl friends said.   
  
Fuming with anger, Phoebe rushed to the closest restroom and cleaned herself up. Jade got out of her seat in a jiffy and chased after Phoebe.   
  
In the restroom, Phoebe faced herself to the mirror; her face was blushed with redness from the public humiliation. All she wanted was to distance herself from class work and the teachers and enjoy sometime with her friend. But no, some thing had to always go wrong! Even if Phoebe didn't admit it, she secretly hated her life. Nothing ever went right. Unless her world falls apart, then the world would be a happier place…for everyone else.   
  
She turned on the water faucet and gathered some water with the palms of her hands and splashed them over her face.   
  
"Phoebe?" Jade abruptly barged through the wooden door.   
  
Phoebe looked up and stared at her best friend with embarrassment for a few seconds before turning away.  
  
"Are you alright?" Jade worriedly questioned, trying to read Phoebe's face.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Phoebe said, brushing past Jade, and storming out of the restroom.  
  
Jade remained in the restroom in confusion, debating with herself whether or not to follow Phoebe.   
  
Meanwhile the humiliated Phoebe rushed to her locker and grabbed her backpack and ran out to the front of the school without a second thought.   
  
She ran for a few blocks to get away from the security officers, and then she walked herself to the nearest park and spent the rest of her time there writing in her journal that she always carried around with her everywhere she went. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
A couple of weeks have past since the incident; Phoebe was no longer the laughing stock at school. Things were going smoothly, up until Jade reminded her about Cole's birthday bash.  
  
"So, so?" Jade giddily asked as she leaned against Phoebe's locker, obviously had been waiting for her, as Phoebe made a pit stop at her locker before going to class.  
  
"So what?" Phoebe asked, as if she had no idea what Jade was so happy about.  
  
"The party!" She answered matter-of-factly. She was astonished by Phoebe's lack of memory.   
  
"Oh, um, yeah," Phoebe uttered lowly as she looked down at her feet. She then quickly looked up and replied, "I'm thinking no."  
  
"What?!" Jade inquired in outrage. "No, no. You…you HAVE to go."  
  
"No," Phoebe said, "I DON'T have to go." She gently pushed Jade away from her locker so she could have access to it. She unlocked it and piled her book and binder on her books and binders. She closed it and turned to Jade, who had a shocked expression on her face.  
  
"You're not serious." Jade hurtfully retorted. "You know how long I've been waiting to be invited to this party—"  
  
"Two weeks?" Phoebe interrupted with a cocky smile.  
  
"That's not the point Phoebe." Jade fumed, "I was hoping that I could use your support there; but I guess I'm not." As she has said that, she shook her head in disbelief and disgust and left without saying another word.   
  
Phoebe watched as her best friend left abruptly. She lightly frowned then turned to walk to her class. In her mind she thought if Jade can't accept her decision then screw her. After all Jade did ask, which implied Phoebe had her freedom to decide whether to go or not. And she chose not to. She didn't understand why Jade made such a big fuse over a party. For goodness's sake, it was a party! It was not the end of the world. And the fact that she was going just to see a boy amused Phoebe. It was like she had nothing better to do than to go after some boy. It was so degrading!   
  
As Phoebe stepped into her 6th period she scanned the room observantly choosing her seat for the day wisely. Somewhere where the teacher won't think that she was sheltering herself from her views, where it wouldn't be rowdy or crowded, where she wouldn't get distracted.  
  
Spotting an empty seat on the third row by the window, she smiled and took the seat. Delighted by her new seat, she breathed in a fresh breath of air and stared out at the luscious green grassland. She felt good about herself for telling Jade no. Phoebe just didn't view things as deeply as Jade did. Guys were the least of her worries. She had no intention of getting a boyfriend, and she would get irritated when she saw people, especially her best friend, fall head over heels for a guy. It was just too superficial.   
  
Phoebe continued to sit there, lost in her own reasoning; forgetting her surroundings. She hadn't even noticed the tardy bell rang. She leaned her head against her palm which had been supported by her elbow propping upon the wooden desk. She looked around and it struck her as strange how a room can completely different look at a different angle. Her eyes then soon laid on the Algebra teacher who was clasping her hands together as she spoke to the class. She listened for a few minutes, amazed at herself that she caught one of the most important parts to solving an equation. She continued to listen through out the class, even caught what the homework was; surprised at herself for once she had finally done something the teacher has been wanting her to do. She then realized listening wasn't as hard as she thought. You just have to listen with a clear conscience and be at peace with your mind.  
  
Exiting the class with a relaxed mind, Phoebe took and enjoyed her time walking to her locker. She felt uplifted and happy…and then there was Jade, who walked past Phoebe with an austere look on her way as she moved along with the crowd. Phoebe followed Jade's silhouette until she disappeared down the hall. Her new profound spirit suddenly died down, flowing out of her body. She now didn't know what to think; she just stood there with an unreadable expression. She turned her book into her locker and walked herself to class.   
  
Now, the guilt has gotten to her. She hated it when that happened. It always made her back down on her own position.   
  
Entering the class room slowly she spotted Cole, who was already in his seat listening to Hannah chatting away.  
  
Phoebe walked down the row passing Cole. He gave her a suggestive glance and flashed her a mischievous smile.  
  
She looked at Cole cautiously not knowing how to react. Should she return his smile? Should she say something? Should she just ignore him? What?! Before she could react Cole had already turned his "attention" back to Hannah. Phoebe continued staring at the back of his head for a few good seconds, until Hannah, the notorious chatterbox snapped her out of her trail of thought.  
  
"What are you looking at, dork?" She disgustingly bellowed, throwing an ugly look Phoebe's way.   
  
Just as she said that, Cole quickly swirled around to get a glimpse of Phoebe's reaction. He has found this to be quite entertaining.   
  
"Certainly not at you!" Phoebe quickly spat back mimicking Hannah's look, earning her another one of Cole's charming smile.  
  
Hannah scoffed, rolled her eyes, and turned her attention back to Cole.   
  
"Cole!" Hannah shrieked like a lost little girl for her Mommy.   
  
A sudden rush of goose bumps popped up and down Phoebe's arms, and the tiny hairs on the nape of her neck stood up as Hannah's voice settled inside her ears.   
  
Phoebe shivered nauseatingly while making a throw up face. She took a quick glance at Cole's direction to see if he was obeying his "master".  
  
"Are you even listening to me?" She whined obnoxiously.   
  
"Yeah." Cole replied rather quickly, knowing the question was bound to come.  
  
"Well, good." Hannah said, "I'm glad you weren't distracted by the little intruder over there." As that said, she threw Phoebe another one of her repulsive glares.   
  
Phoebe looked up and smiled endearingly, "Do you know what you remind me of?" She inquired nicely.   
  
"What?" Hannah asked and flipped her hair, staring at Phoebe with an attitude.   
  
"My bitch!" Phoebe answered gleefully, "She does the exact same face as you did just now whenever strangers pass by." To make it more amusing, Phoebe smiled from cheek to cheek and bobbed her head from side to side mocking one of Hannah's annoying grins  
  
Jumping out of her seat, Hannah's face was consumed with madness, her cheeks flushed scarlet red and her eyes were beaming with hatred. Suddenly, she let out a roar, "You—"  
  
"Shove it!" Phoebe interrupted.  
  
"Miss Hannah," the teacher warned. "sit down."  
  
"But—"  
  
"I don't care. Sit down."  
  
Phoebe smiled inwardly to herself, satisfied with what she had done. Not only did she entertain herself, she's got Cole's attention as well.   
  
Laughing hysterically, he held onto his stomach tightly as he fell over the desk getting a kick out of himself.   
  
An angry Hannah glared at Cole with anger and snapped at him, "What are you laughing at?"  
  
Cole held is tongue and shook his head while holding in his laughter.   
  
  
  
Hannah scoffed and ignored everyone for the rest of the class.  
  
Whereas Phoebe thought about Jade and how she would love it when Phoebe would tell her about Hannah. Though it wouldn't be as funny since Jade was mad at her. For every other person, Phoebe could just say "screw them" and get over it, however Jade was the only person that Phoebe could sway for. Jade was the only one that understood Phoebe well enough to read her from the inside out. Sometimes they even joked about marrying each other since they already knew what the other knew. They don't have to hint each other about gifts for the holidays or birthdays.  
  
Lost deep inside her mind, Phoebe hadn't noticed Cole slipped her a note while Hannah wasn't looking. Cole lightly tapped on her desk then turned his attention back to the teacher.  
  
Returning back to reality, Phoebe looked down at her desk and found the note. She looked up curiously at Cole, who slightly turned his head and winked at her.   
  
She bit her bottom lip warily before opening the note. She slowly opened the note and read it…word for word: "Hey, loved what you did to Hannah. Why don't you come to my birthday bash tonight? It'll be awesome. 4609 Hem St." And it ended with a wink.  
  
Phoebe winced at the note; her mind was going in all directions. She didn't know what to think. She was personally invited to Cole Turner's party by Cole Turner himself. She was flattered by his invitation and also his amusement toward her comments to Hannah.   
  
She smiled to herself and fumbled with the note until the bell rang. Hastily jumping out of her seat, she shoved her stuff in her backpack and ran for the door. Excited to tell Jade about the invitation, she suddenly stopped herself and played back the little feud they had earlier. She didn't want to back down about her thought of going to the party just for a guy, but that was what she wanted to do. Before she could come up with a reason to tell Jade about her change of heart Jade quickly past by.   
  
"Jade." Phoebe called catching up to her.  
  
Jade completely ignored her and continued walking; Phoebe let out a sign of compunction and ran up to Jade and grabbed her back.  
  
"I'm sorry," she began "about this morning."  
  
"I don't need a pity apology." Jade austerely replied, taking her arm back.  
  
"It's not," Phoebe answered, tentatively, "I know how you feel now."  
  
"About what?" She baffled.  
  
"Jason." Phoebe uttered, "You know how analytical I am, right?"  
  
"Yeah--"  
  
"Well, I tend to over analyze a lot of things."  
  
"Where is this going?" Jade butted in, impatiently.  
  
"You know Cole Turner right?" Phoebe asked, rhetorically. "What am I asking, of course you do! Ok the point is, he invited me to the party and I really want to go, and I want you to be there for me like you wanted me to be there for you."  
  
"So…you're saying…"  
  
"I understand how you feel now."   
  
Suddenly Jade let out a big laugh which surprised Phoebe.  
  
"Are you kidding me with this?" Jade queried in astonishment.   
  
"What?" Phoebe was dumbfounded by Jade's question.  
  
"Is Phoebe Halliwell finally realizing her thoughts shouldn't overshadow her judgment?"   
  
"Uh," Phoebe murmured, "that's not what I'm saying here"   
  
"I think you are."   
  
"Well, whatever. Either way, if you still want me to come, I will-- for you, not…not Cole. Maybe a little for him."  
  
"Yeah, I do want you to come." Jade said, giving Phoebe a lopsided smile.  
  
"Great!" Phoebe let out a sigh of relief. "Now for my amazing story about my encounter with Miss Chatterbox."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Hannah."  
  
"Oh." Jade uttered as they walked off together down the hallway with Phoebe enlightening her with her story. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
The party was on, and Phoebe was extremely ecstatic about it; she had spent the entire day picking out clothes and a hair style that would just scream "WOW" to the crowd, and especially Cole. She knew most people-- if not the whole school—perceived her as an outsider, a dork. And she knew they, mainly Hannah and her gang would be shocked when they saw her show up.   
  
She, herself, was also surprised at herself for even considering going to the party.   
  
She admired her reflection in the mirror with absolute satisfaction. A sultry smile formed on her lips as she swirled her face to the mirror amazed at her own assets.  
  
"Looks like those squats finally paid off." She thought to herself, tucking her mini light pink with tiny flower patterned sarong inward so it would hug her buttock.  
  
Feeling remarkably proud of herself, Phoebe turned back around and straightened her satin white tank. Reaching for her light pink cardigan, she threw it on, and slipped into her light pink sandals.  
  
Feeling fabulous she did a few poses before a knock on her door interrupted her moment.   
  
  
  
"You can stop loving yourself now!" Came a voice behind the door.  
  
  
  
"Uh, Jade.?" Phoebe asked, as she leaned again the door.  
  
"Yeah, who else would it be?" Jade retorted rhetorically.  
  
Taking a step back she opened the door and pulled Jade in quickly.  
  
"Why are you acting so…" She took a moment to think up of an adjective. "alert?"  
  
"I don't want my mom to see me like this." Phoebe replied. "She'd get all happy and it's annoying."  
  
Jade pursed her lips and smiled; she took a deep breathe then looked over at an enormous pile of clothes on Phoebe's bed and slightly frowned.  
  
"Uh, did you just buy all that for the party?" She inquired.  
  
"Uh, I'm taking it all back." Phoebe replied while teasing her hair. "I didn't want spend hours in the mall, so I just grabbed whatever I liked and charged it on my mom's credit."  
  
"Does she know?"  
  
"Uh, she knows I bought a couple of outfits."  
  
Jade pursed her lips again then, looked up at Phoebe.  
  
"So, how long have you been liking Cole Turner?"  
  
"Huh?" Phoebe turned, facing Jade baffled as if she didn't hear her question.  
  
"Cole Turner?" Jade reiterated.  
  
"What about him?" She played dumb.  
  
"How long have you had feelings for him?" Jade questioned, putting more emphasis in her voice.  
  
"Uh, I don't have feelings," Phoebe lied, "not for him anyways. He intrigues me—that's all."  
  
She felt awful for lying to her best friend; however telling her the truth would only make Jade question her more. Phoebe liked to keep it to herself, especially when it came to "guys". She was always conscious of what she was saying, and always kept the information to the minimum. No need to let the words out if nothing was going on…even if it was.  
  
  
  
"What's with the get-up then?" Jade investigated; her suspicions were building up and she knew something was up. "Trying to impress him?"  
  
"I just thought I oughta look nice for the party." Phoebe simply answered. She knew Jade could smell lies.  
  
"Sure?" Jade raised her eyebrows at Phoebe.  
  
"Positive." Phoebe said. "I gave what you said--about wanting my support—a thought and I see your point. Don't worry; Cole doesn't have much to do with my decision; except for helping me realize how you feel." She went to her bed and took a seat next to Jade. "I know you would do it for me."  
  
"I thought you said you don't have feelings for Cole." Jade interrogated.  
  
"I--" Phoebe thoughts scattered around, she's got tied up in her own dishonesty and now her mind was all in knots. She tried to utter the next word and work it off from there. "not. Just want to see what he's all about."  
  
Jade gave Phoebe a sideway smile and draped her arm around Phoebe's shoulder, "Well, thank you."  
  
"Anytime." Phoebe smiled, and draped her arm around Jade's shoulder.  
  
"Uh, shouldn't we be going now?" Phoebe asked.  
  
Jade pressed her lips together and grinned, "Sun down." She slipped off of the bed and stood in front of Phoebe.  
  
"So, how do I look?" She twirled around in her mini denim skirt accompanied a lacy strap black tank with duplicated twin pink strips embroidered down the sides of it.  
  
"Let's just say Jason will be all over you by the end of the night." Phoebe answered, winking her eyes.   
  
A couple of hours flew by quickly and it was about time for Jade and Phoebe to leave for the party. Phoebe was getting anxious her palms were starting to sweat and she was getting perspiration around her neck. Planning details of the party in her head, Phoebe started asking Jade "what if" questions. She knew a lot of people who would attend the party would not know her, despite her existence in school. She wouldn't be surprised if people questioned her if she was new to the school.  
  
Jade on the other hand was getting nervous and wanting to back out. However, Phoebe wouldn't let that happen.   
  
"How about I'll just see him at school?" Jade nervously queried, adding an edgy smile.  
  
"No, you're going," Phoebe affirmed sternly. "You're going to go and you're going to have fun and you're going to blow Jason's mind away."  
  
"Suddenly you and your confidence," Jade said.  
  
"Well, one of us has gotta have it." Phoebe stated, then grabbed Jade's arm. "Now let's go."  
  
She pulled Jade into the hallway and hollered for her mom.  
  
"Mom let's go."  
  
"Be out in a min, hon." Phoebe's mom yelled back. "Go start the car."  
  
"Alright." Phoebe then bounced off to downstairs with Jade by her side. She grabbed the car key on its hanger by the doorway and headed out to start the car.  
  
A few minutes later, Phoebe's mother arrived with a surprised mug. She's finally saw Phoebe in her outfit and she was speechless. She had never seen her daughter dressed so girly like. Always in jeans and saggy tee.  
  
"Phoebe." Her mother cried as she was getting into the car. "You look beautiful."  
  
"You mean girly-like?" Phoebe asked rhetorically.  
  
"Well, either way, you're beautiful." Her mother stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"Please don't praise mother." Phoebe pleaded.  
  
Her mother flashed Phoebe a smile then took off.   
  
Ideas were running across Phoebe's mind. Imaging getting sweet kisses from Cole when they got more acquainted at the party. She could image what the kiss was going to be like: he would take a seat next to her on the couch and they would get to know each other a little better, she would show him the real side of her—the sweet, deep, thoughtful side of her, then they would have a few laughs over a few anecdotes or maybe incidents that would occur at the party, and finally he would lean in and kiss her.   
  
There were many occasions where she wanted to shut down her tough exterior shield and be nice to him. She wanted to show him that she liked him; however, she knew it would be a big joke to people around her. Her liking a senior-- not just any senior-- but Cole Turner. He was all she ever wanted, but couldn't have. The first time she had laid her eyes on him, she knew there was something special about him and that attracted him to her. Even though there was no physical appearance—besides his eyes—she knew there was something in the interior of his feature that magnetically pulled her to him.   
  
Though, she knew—maybe not knew, but figured—that he was out of her league-- that she wasn't meant to be with him. She wanted to befriend him and take it from there, but the fear of embarrassment for her failure in attempt to be with him would come back and bite her in the ass was too much of a risk for her. She was one who did not like to stand corrected.   
  
Only it made her more tempted to go after him—it was like a hopeless romance to her. Maybe life wouldn't be so complicated if teenagers treated each other as equals and did not categorized themselves.   
  
Moments in deep thought, Phoebe hadn't realized they arrived at Cole's party.   
  
"Alright." Phoebe's mother voice snapped her back to reality.  
  
She could see all the popular people from school standing around the porch. Predictably, she felt out of place. Maybe she's having second thoughts about the party.  
  
"Call me when you're ready to get picked up." Her mother said. "I won't be home 'til 8, so call me on my cell."  
  
"Okay, mom." Phoebe murmured, and got out of the car, as did Jade. "Bye."  
  
"Bye sweetheart, have fun." Her mom took off at the speed of light, leaving her standing alone with Jade on the deserted sidewalk.  
  
Exchanging nerving glances toward each other, Phoebe took a deep breath and gave Jade a reassuring smile.  
  
"Let's do this," Jade declared, unnervingly. "just one foot in front of the other." She paced herself along with Phoebe up the steps and glanced at people around her.  
  
Phoebe's heart started to bump rapidly as she took each step closer to the door. She could hear the music pounding away from the inside, and kids' voices, and laughter. It was frightening to her. She had never attended a party before…she didn't know how to act or what to do.   
  
Stepping her foot into the door, her surroundings became woodsy. Darkness of the forest captured every part of the house, filling in every corner. Everywhere she looked were just pure silhouettes, only tiny glimpses of light from the front porch and the patio.   
  
"Do you see Jason anywhere?" Jade suddenly whispered to Phoebe. Her eyes wandered to find him as she cramped through people.  
  
"No." Phoebe replied, as she searched for Cole. "Maybe they're outside."  
  
"They're?" Jade looked dumbfounded.  
  
"I mean, Jason and other people… like his friends, you know?" Phoebe frantically working up a cover up.  
  
"Yeah." Jade looked at Phoebe suspiciously. "Sure."  
  
They hastened to the backdoor and walked out. Phoebe spotting Cole by the pool chatting with his friends…mostly girls; in his arm was a raven-haired beauty with hazel eyes. Suddenly a shock of jealousy hit Phoebe. She felt empty…plain. It was like she had nothing to offer. Phoebe just looked at Cole for a moment. He didn't even know her arrival. Her expression went from jealousy to a hint of embarrassment.   
  
However a real hit of embarrassment came when Hannah's voice boomed the place.  
  
"OH. MY. GOSH!" She shrieked in horror. "Who invited this…"she was too disgusted to think of an insult. "this thing?"  
  
Alerted by Hannah's voice, everyone was facing Phoebe. Most had confused looks on their face—they had no notion of who she was.  
  
Phoebe could feel heat emerging from her cheeks, her eyes were burning up, and her mind was just a mess. Her every thought was jumbled up.   
  
"Just never mind her Phoebe." Jade advised. "She's not worth our time."  
  
Phoebe didn't respond, instead she turned around and walked back inside. She wasn't in the mood for snobby nonsense. As she turned, she saw Cole's eyes fixed on her, she could hear murmurs from his clique questioning, "Who's she." Naturally Hannah answered voluntarily. "A freak who doesn't know her place."  
  
And that just did it for Phoebe. She swirled around, her face was now brightly red, her eyes were beaming with anger, her fists curled, "And where is my place, Hannah?" Phoebe clinched her teeth and her head cocked to one side. "It's people like you that make me laugh. You prance around thinking you're all that, like you own the world...until the real world crushes on you. Then you'll be running around quarrelling how the world is so unfair because you've spent most of your time sticking your head up your own ass!"   
  
  
  
Paralyzed by Phoebe's words, Hannah stood frozen with a humiliated look on her mug.   
  
Far left by the pool Phoebe could sense Cole gazing at her; however she didn't bother to look. Though, she was glad she'd grabbed his attention. Even though he may have already knew she didn't take crap from people…especially when they pushed her too far.  
  
She turned and began to head back inside, however before she could take her first step Jade tucked her and mouthed that Jason was sitting on the far left corner about two feet away from Cole with the guys.   
  
Phoebe looked hesitant at first, rethinking maybe she shouldn't be over there; but before she could protest Jade had already pulled her to them.  
  
"Hi." Phoebe sounded throatily. Her nerves were getting to her, as she was only standing a couple of feet away from Turner.  
  
Cole glanced over at Phoebe and smiled to himself. His eyes traveled a bit south of her back. He pursed his lips as if something was going through his mind. It seemed his interest was on Phoebe's body. His eyes traced her outline carefully then turned to his clique.  
  
"Excuse me, ladies." Cole cleared his throat, letting go of the raven-haired beauty.  
  
He swooped over to where Phoebe was standing and said "Hi" to Phoebe and Jade.  
  
"I see you made it." Cole smiled at Phoebe. She smiled back and quickly glanced away.   
  
Cole could tell Phoebe was merely an amateur to these to try things…parties and crowds. She seemed a bit timid…actually a lot timid and a bit uncomfortable. He could tell this was not her type of crowd.   
  
"So what do you think of the party?" Cole asked, trying to loose her up.   
  
"It's…"Phoebe pondered to try to find the right word, "interesting. Nothing I've ever been too."  
  
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"   
  
"It's a good thing." Phoebe smiled and nodded her head.  
  
"Hey," A friend of Jason's called for Phoebe. "you're new to the school?"  
  
She shyly shook her head. She knew that question was bound to come up sometime during the party. She didn't recognize most of the people, and she didn't expect them to know her either.   
  
Meanwhile, as Jade and Jason were getting acquainted Phoebe sat alone in side. She told Jade she was going to go use the restroom but hadn't returned in about an hour. She didn't want to be a third wheel or be an intruder. Cole had returned to his group. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
In a dark corner Phoebe sat along, beating herself up for even thinking Cole was interested in her. In a moment, her deep thoughts were abruptly disturbed by a drunken boy falling on her. She pushed him off irritatingly. It was the third time that that happened. She had just about enough of the party; it wasn't as how she'd imaged. No one talked to her, she was again invisible. No matter where she went, she always went unnoticed. Fed up with the party, she got up and went to look for a phone in a more quiet place.  
  
She saw a staircase and rushed up to find the first room with a phone. She could've guessed it was Cole's room, with all the hard rock posters and picture of girls in bikinis, but there were three other rooms that were pretty much the same. She spotted a black hand-phone on the bed. Hesitant to pick up the phone, she turned to close the door behind her to shut out the noise.  
  
Walking to the bed, she plopped herself down, picked up the phone and dialed her mother's cell phone number. She sat and let it ring for 30 seconds and hung up. Throwing the phone back on the bed, Phoebe propped on her feet and walked to the window; she could see everyone was having a blast. Searching her eyes all about Phoebe spotted Jade carrying away her conversation with Jason. Smiling to herself, Phoebe thought to herself, she was happy for Jade; it was rarely ever easy for Jade to find the time between school and helping her disabled mother to meet guys…especially decent ones.  
  
Drawing in a deep breath she let out a long sign as the hinges on the door squeaked, but Phoebe was simply too distracted in her own set of mind.  
  
This was far more entertaining watching people mingling Phoebe thought, though she wished she was one of the people, but she wasn't just set out for this kind of environment. Looking around for Cole, she frowned when she couldn't spot him. Hmm, she thought. Well, his girl friends are still hanging by the pool. Where in the world could he be? Maybe he needed to use the restroom? She questioned and answered herself.   
  
"Who's there?" Come a rough voice behind her.  
  
Swirling around, she was surprised to see a dirty blonde wavy haired boy standing by the door.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry--" Phoebe began.  
  
"Are you gonna join or are you going to watch?" The boy asked.  
  
"Excuse me?" Phoebe was baffled by his question, until a small girl about her height pushed the door opened and grabbed the boy's hand.  
  
"Uh," was pretty much all Phoebe could say before she pushed past the boy and ran down the hall running into Cole, who was walking straight her way.  
  
"Hey, slow down!" He grabbed hold of her.   
  
She could feel the tight grip he had on her. She couldn't help but feel a little turned on. She clenched her teeth together then pursed her lips. Her mind was going at a hundred velocities. This was the closest she had ever gotten to him; she could smell his cologne: light and toxic.  
  
She stared into his eyes for a few seconds before uttering a couple of words.  
  
"I'm sorry." Phoebe breathed.   
  
"What are you doing up here?" Asked Cole, looking at her curiously.  
  
"Uh, I just needed to use the phone." Phoebe stammered.  
  
"Are you not having fun?" Cole queried, adding a disappointed face.  
  
"Just not my kind of crowd, you know?" Phoebe answered truthfully.   
  
The light in the hallway was dimmed and she could barely make out Cole's face, however she could sense the tone in his voice.  
  
"Well then, loosen up a bit." Cole advised.  
  
Phoebe batted her lashes and looked down for a moment, and looked up at him.  
  
"Are you saying I'm too uptight." Phoebe took offense to his words.  
  
"I'm just saying enjoy the moment." Cole said as his eyes brightened. "Seize the moment, make it yours."  
  
"And how do I do that?" Phoebe questioned.  
  
"Stop holding yourself back: do what excites you." Cole suggested.  
  
"Hmm." Phoebe thought, "Seize the moment."  
  
She stuck out her bottom lip and gave Cole a crooked smile.  
  
"You know, you're quite pretty when you smile." Cole flattered her.   
  
"Um…" Phoebe breathed, ignoring his comment. "Is there another phone I can use?"  
  
"What's wrong with the one you used before?"   
  
"Uh, the room is occupied." Phoebe answered.  
  
Cole smiled knowing exactly what she meant.   
  
"Right this way," Cole led her down the hallway, "Gotta make a phone call to your boyfriend?"  
  
"No!" Phoebe answered, rather quickly.  
  
"Hmm," Cole thought out loud, " I wonder why?"  
  
"What does that suppose to mean?" Phoebe faced Cole with an angry expression.  
  
"I'm teasing," Cole backed off, "relax."  
  
Phoebe inhaled and exhaled as she clenched her teeth together. She was getting agitated with Cole telling her to "relax".   
  
Cole could tell she was irritated; she looked so adorable and helpless, Cole thought. He could tell she was trying to relax, but couldn't. There was like this voice behind her mind kept telling her to beware. Though, her outfit shouted a whole different thing. Knowing she was trying to put herself out there, he had a few ideas in mind to loosen her up.   
  
"Haven't I told you that you're cute when you're angry?" Cole joked, flashing Phoebe a 1000-watt smile.  
  
Phoebe blushed and bit the corner bottom of her lip. She dropped her head a bit and smiled.  
  
Cole's smile grew wider—knowing he had embarrassed her—he lifted up her face, moved in and captured her lips.  
  
She felt his lips press more intensely on hers. She couldn't move; it was like she was paralyzed. She had absolutely no expectation of anything more than the exchange of a few words. And on top of all that, she had never even had a real kiss.   
  
She felt his hand rub across cross her stomach and travel to her waist. Suddenly, she felt heavy…her breath was becoming shallow…her hands wanted to push Cole again away, but they ended up gripping at his waist as he was crushing her against the wall.   
  
Keeping up with Cole, Phoebe opened her mouth, letting Cole get a little bit more personal. She could tell Cole was trying to help her relax, by his hand capturing the nook of her neck and gently massaging it as things starting to heat up.  
  
"Cole," Phoebe breathed his name as she pushed him away.  
  
Resisting backing off, he moved to her neck making her feel more impotent than ever. He arched her back into him, making her feel his yearning for her.   
  
The tenseness was starting to wear off as Phoebe began to enjoy the moment; she herself was beginning to feel the spark of electricity coursing through her body…it's nice…she thought. It was different…she was starting to feel what Cole was feeling; her hormones were sky rocketing and her mind wasn't in control anymore—it was her hormones. She felt a great strength of desire as she took hold of Cole's shirt and pulled him tighter and draped her arms around his neck. Pulling herself up to him, Cole grabbed her butt and pushed her up to him.  
  
They quickly made a get away to his room, and Cole flopped her on the bed and climbed on top of her.   
  
Things were starting to get a little fast, and Cole and Phoebe were in way over their heads. Cole didn't intend for things to go any further than just the kiss to help relax her, and assure her that it wasn't so much that she couldn't loosen up, but that she just had to put her mind to it.   
  
The night was going by slowly…it seemed like eternity since they both were in Cole's room, until someone has alarmed disturbed the both of them… 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
The raven-haired beauty was standing at the entrance of Cole's room with a mortified look on her face.   
  
Everything stopped…it was like time was frozen…then returned to reality slowly. Cole turned his head and his facial expression completely changed from bliss to shock. Phoebe on the other hand was taking by complete surprise. She scooted aside abruptly to pull the cover to her chest.   
  
"Uh," was the only thing Cole could utter.   
  
The girl clenched her teeth and slammed the door shut.  
  
Cole quickly climbed off Phoebe and put on his clothes.   
  
"Sorry," Cole panted as he got changed, "I didn't mean for this to happen."  
  
Her eyes just popped in surprised then her mind returned to its senses. What did she expect? For him to stay next to her and tell her he loves her? Or that he had been wanting her for a long time? She just watched him get dressed and his every moment as she gripped the lining of the cover tighter to her body—resulted in the tingles that were coursing through her hands. Feeling all of the aftermath emotions hitting her all at once, she felt choked up, but sucked it all back in.   
  
Cole quickly pulled his shirt over his head and ran off after the girl, leaving Phoebe sitting alone in the dark.  
  
Getting up, Phoebe got dressed and fixed her hair.   
  
Meanwhile downstairs Cole looked around, asking his buddies for the raven-haired girl. Nowhere to be seen, Cole ran out to the porch as he heard the screech of tires backing out of his driveway.  
  
"Bella!" He called. "Fuck!" He cursed softly to himself and slammed the door.  
  
"Hey, what's up?" Jason marched over with a cup of some sort of beverage in hand.  
  
"Nothing." Cole sighed.  
  
"Phoebe!" Jade's voice came booming through the hallway. "Hey, have you seen Phoebe?" Jade directed the question towards Cole.  
  
He thought a little then answered, with a bit of hesitation, "Last time I saw her, she was about to use the phone to call her mom."  
  
"I knew it!" Jade claimed, "Is she still up there?"  
  
Before answering, Cole turned his head as he saw a shadow coming down the stairs; Jade turned as well, to see Phoebe coming down the stairs, followed by Hannah.   
  
"You little thief." Hannah blurted out, "What were you doing in Cole's room?"  
  
"I don't have to answer to you." Phoebe spat, as she spotted Jade, Cole, and Jason standing by the door. She rushed over to Jade and avoided making eye-contact with Cole.  
  
"My mom said to wait outside for her." Phoebe told Jade, then walked past Cole, and headed outside.   
  
Standing tall and looking around, Phoebe pushed every emotion she felt back in the back of her mind. Though, she wasn't being very subtle about her how she was feeling: she kept on taking deep breaths, fidgeting her fingers, licking her lips, and adjusting her posture.   
  
"Phoebe!" Jade called while she tapped Phoebe's right shoulder.  
  
"Hi," Phoebe said.  
  
"Are you ok?" Jade asked, in concern.  
  
"Yeah," she answered, and gave Jade a half-a-decent smile. "So, what did it go with Jason?"  
  
"Great," Jade replied, pursed her lips and smiled, "Uh, do you mind if I stay back?"  
  
"What?" Phoebe asked, "Yes, I do mind. I'm responsible for you."  
  
"I'll get Jason to give me a ride back to your house." Jade suggested.  
  
"No," Phoebe answered, agitatedly.  
  
"Please, Phoebe," Jade pleaded, "just a couple more hours."  
  
Phoebe sighed and thought it would be a good, since she could use some time to herself.   
  
"I suppose." Phoebe said hesitated.  
  
"Oh, thank you!" Jade said, giving her a big hug. "You want me to wait with you till your mom gets here?"  
  
"It's ok," Phoebe declined the offer, "You go ahead and be inside."  
  
Jade squeezed Phoebe's should a bit, gave Phoebe a smile, headed back inside, she whispered, "Thank you."  
  
Moments later, Phoebe's mother's car pulled up on the front driveway. Phoebe looked back at the front door uncertain whether it was the right thing to do to leave Jade alone. But then again, she would like to have sometime with herself to absorb what had happened. She hopped down the steps and quickly got in the car.  
  
Not a moment to think, Phoebe's mother blatantly asked where was Jade's whereabouts. Phoebe told her Jade wanted to hang around a bit longer and she would be over later. Her mother wasn't too thrilled with the idea, but gave up after a short lived argument with Phoebe. They would have gone on all night, and Phoebe will never give up the fight.   
  
While all of this took place, Cole retreated to his party, and tried to enjoy himself. However he kept thinking of what had happened. He felt guilty for what took place a little more than 30 minutes ago, he didn't mean for it to happen; it was all hazy to him, but then again everything was. Lessons were never learned, at least to him—he never stop to think for a moment. He has always been an irrational person, never seeing things through, he just goes with the moment; but then again he was just a hormonal teenager.   
  
Acting as if she was fine with everything she made small chats with her mother covering up her obvious distress. And as soon as they arrived home, a sudden feeling of relief rushed through her. She couldn't wait to get up to her room, where she would be all by herself. Have a moment to sulk things in, she closed the door behind her, and everything in that moment just became a slow motion. She could hear the grandfather clock down in the living room chime, and every ding was an eternity times ten.  
  
Turning to look out the window, the only clear sight was the blue moon barely hanging onto the dark mystic night. Her vision suddenly became a blur, and her chest was buried with massive weight, dragging her down to the floor. She took a deep breathe and shut her eyes tightly and exhaled slowly to extract the toxic weight. 


End file.
